An Open Letter To Mahendra Singh Dhoni

“Dear Dhoni,

In the last 14 years that I have seen you play, I never thought that I would associate the word struggle with your batting. But today, I am almost forced to do it. It just goes on to show how fickle is the nature of the field you are in- for, one moment, it can take you to dizzying heights where the world is at your feet, take you to peaks uninhabited by other mortals, but a moment later, push you down the deep troughs as well, and make you experience its chaotic waves.

Fourteen years is a long time, Mahi. The men who started with you are long gone now, you are going to play your 4th World Cup, and you are more than 300 ODI’s old. At 37, things are starting to creak a bit- the odd ball is hurrying you up, that heave off a good length ball is landing in the hands of Long On instead of soaring 25 rows back into the crowd, and your famed finishing touch is slowly ebbing away from you.

But then Mahi, just think of yourself 14 years back. Do you remember those early days in 2004? Ah! Those days remain in our memory forever. You were only 23 at that time, the belligerence of youth was evident in your face, there was a twinkle in your eye, and the typical swagger and your brisk walk gave us assurance and excitement. You were just pummeling the bowlers, treating them with sheer disdain and illuminating the sky with your towering sixes.

It was as if seeing a bird in full flight, absolutely carefree. That was the Dhoni we all fell in love with, the Dhoni who charmed all of us, the one image of Dhoni that is enshrined in our hearts.

But, over the years, you evolved, as all great sportsmen do. Captaining the side meant a lot more responsibilities, you had metamorphosed from a tormentor into a mature finisher. The second phase of yours was as exciting and riveting as the first one. You were now taking the match deep into the last over, giving us tense moments. Many of us have lost considerable amounts of our nails because of you, while you took us to safety with Zen-like calmness,

Captaining the side was a totally different matter, wasn’t it? You had to look at the team combination, keep wickets for a full 50 overs, shuffle the bowlers around, and deal with the media often. It was a phase you showed us your sharp cricketing acumen and made us gape, time and again, at the incredible speed with which your mind worked. It took a lot out of you, didn't it? But you never complained. Those 8 years when you lead the side will be etched in our minds, as you took us to heights never achieved before.

But then, we woke up one morning in January 2017 and found out that you had given up captaincy. It was shocking. Probably leading the side took a lot out of you, and you were never the man to give less than a hundred percent. You were also nearing the wrong side of 30, and so, you thought that handing over the mantle to Kohli would allow him to settle into the job while you were still around.

But, the last year and a half has made us witness a totally different Dhoni. A Dhoni who has imposed limitations upon himself, a Dhoni who now bows down to the rules rather than bend them. The twinkle in your eye is losing its spark too, and you look battle worn.

Come on Mahi! Just take off the burden from your mind, take out all the stuff that is being spoken about you in the country and return to your adolescent phase. Become the carefree bird once more that set flight and allowed us to feel that we had wings too.

And when you do that dear Mahi, the runs will start flowing again, the ball will start soaring over the crowd, the bowlers will once again start dreading your name. And this will make our hearts skip a beat too! Just like it did, when you were in your prime.

And this is exactly the Mahi we need for the 2019 World Cup. Cheers Mate! Go and have fun. Because when you have fun, we have fun too.”

-an ardent cricket fan